diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 89195abb4d035b248f2bab509974950af745efe0..dabbd1bdc691cd8d73190e0ee15f9f1959e40afa 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -7,7 +7,10 @@ It is also meant to bundle as many server-side pubsweet dependencies as possible
 Install package and remove the dependencies it is meant to replace.
 
 ```sh
-yarn remove pubsweet pubsweet-server @pubsweet/logger # if migrating from an existing project
+## if migrating from an existing project
+yarn remove pubsweet pubsweet-server @pubsweet/logger @pubsweet/base-model
+##
+
 yarn add @coko/server
 ```
 
@@ -36,14 +39,6 @@ If you place this file in `server/app.js`, starting the server should work autom
 }
 ```
 
-### Logger
-
-To access the logger simply import like so:
-
-```js
-const { logger } = require('@coko/server')
-```
-
 ### Authorization middleware
 
 The server provides authorization checks through using `graphql-shield`.  
@@ -136,7 +131,26 @@ If you run your client on a different host/port than the server, you might run i
 
 ### Other exports from included packages
 
-- `createJWT` is an export of a function in `pubsweet-server` that does just that. Useful if you have custom login resolvers.
+##### Logger
+
+Returns pubsweet's logger
+
+```js
+const { logger } = require('@coko/server')
+```
+
+##### Base Model
+
+Returns pubsweet's base model
+
+```js
+const { BaseModel } = require('@coko/server')
+```
+
+##### createJWT
+
+`createJWT` is an export of a function in `pubsweet-server` that does just that.  
+Useful if you have custom login resolvers.
 
 ### Future features
 
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 338a6f802ff219ed70020bf0afe325d7c2863ca2..8eb82ecfbdf0161e4ca2788848d8bf2d3552763a 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
     "access": "public"
   },
   "dependencies": {
+    "@pubsweet/base-model": "^3.6.5",
     "@pubsweet/errors": "^2.0.32",
     "@pubsweet/logger": "^0.2.42",
     "@pubsweet/models": "^0.3.7",
diff --git a/src/index.js b/src/index.js
index b8c1577fd18a5ca231e3bcde095689ca0a8b07ff..9484a0528410fd81ff11a68a8d0982fd572461c1 100644
--- a/src/index.js
+++ b/src/index.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 const cron = require('node-cron')
 
+const BaseModel = require('@pubsweet/base-model')
 const authentication = require('pubsweet-server/src/authentication')
 const logger = require('@pubsweet/logger')
 
@@ -12,4 +13,5 @@ module.exports = {
   cron,
   createJWT,
   logger,
+  BaseModel,
 }
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index 3c1933ee9d28f938b48faabfe39cbd506c5b8bd1..8547ef185e9af5e1490ce962bfad91b556435289 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -411,6 +411,34 @@
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@protobufjs/utf8/-/utf8-1.1.0.tgz#a777360b5b39a1a2e5106f8e858f2fd2d060c570"
   integrity sha1-p3c2C1s5oaLlEG+OhY8v0tBgxXA=
 
+"@pubsweet/base-model@^3.6.5":
+  version "3.6.5"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@pubsweet/base-model/-/base-model-3.6.5.tgz#a2a6dd9be999b8360abbb0a4a1a22cb9b6b7aa37"
+  integrity sha512-zhqh8cQL+0rE1U0PbeKUy+Vr7BvF4D/AoW57pI6JnGBZ8iaLtes49Vbzgj4aykQZKgzxraXyJssFHAn1E74TSQ==
+  dependencies:
+    "@pubsweet/db-manager" "^3.1.10"
+    "@pubsweet/errors" "^2.0.35"
+    "@pubsweet/logger" "^0.2.45"
+    knex "^0.16.3"
+    lodash "^4.17.11"
+    objection "^1.5.3"
+    uuid "^3.3.2"
+
+"@pubsweet/db-manager@^3.1.10":
+  version "3.1.10"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@pubsweet/db-manager/-/db-manager-3.1.10.tgz#a4165be9199fc2d04150ad746d9d328d9ab91c46"
+  integrity sha512-h9jW/IIYlMgV5exqZZdpmgp6L8Ef8+aVHI7c6nNQT2jaJIVR3ZhmgrjNNWnT9faptInoU/VoF6JUz5/vZKIBAg==
+  dependencies:
+    "@hapi/joi" "^14.3.0"
+    "@pubsweet/logger" "^0.2.45"
+    fs-extra "^8.1.0"
+    knex "^0.16.3"
+    lodash "^4.17.11"
+    objection "^1.5.3"
+    pg "^7.8.0"
+    tmp-promise "^2.0.0"
+    umzug "^2.1.0"
+
 "@pubsweet/db-manager@^3.1.7":
   version "3.1.7"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@pubsweet/db-manager/-/db-manager-3.1.7.tgz#504b78f036240d3b2e2144caff424fcf38beb72a"
@@ -433,6 +461,13 @@
   dependencies:
     http-status-codes "^1.3.0"
 
+"@pubsweet/errors@^2.0.35":
+  version "2.0.35"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@pubsweet/errors/-/errors-2.0.35.tgz#40a0c231cf5a7ab4aeafd6d20835a092fd55fcec"
+  integrity sha512-u3eR2lFDydyIVZkxkfXUHhfw0i7usOSVlPmBlcr547qGADPJ8HB4lMTSFoq20Ks7Vij3xeW1Vu6r2Mfqo3uRhQ==
+  dependencies:
+    http-status-codes "^1.3.0"
+
 "@pubsweet/logger@^0.2.42":
   version "0.2.42"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@pubsweet/logger/-/logger-0.2.42.tgz#e2fa0e053441868d090bcfff36333ffabda550ee"
@@ -441,6 +476,14 @@
     "@hapi/joi" "^14.5.0"
     config "^3.0.1"
 
+"@pubsweet/logger@^0.2.45":
+  version "0.2.45"
+  resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@pubsweet/logger/-/logger-0.2.45.tgz#dbf176a5816e4c5fbc4ba0fed5c996fa2e24c288"
+  integrity sha512-9s4cb+3vgPGQT6JUbDaiX3Q0KSU2vFDB+jMAj96RlIn88PUVa6dHBJBb1V7SMlPQ493S9dfOJ3lFJQhh+HNA5Q==
+  dependencies:
+    "@hapi/joi" "^14.5.0"
+    config "^3.0.1"
+
 "@pubsweet/models@^0.3.7":
   version "0.3.7"
   resolved "https://registry.yarnpkg.com/@pubsweet/models/-/models-0.3.7.tgz#b19bf7b615329e2fdeab6acb64a892d2663c3569"